Brendan Rodgers Previews Pittodrie Match, Commends McCowan, and Addresses Squad Ambitions

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers addressed the media in anticipation of his team’s Premiership fixture against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Wednesday. He confirmed the squad’s overall fitness for the upcoming match, with the exception of goalkeeper Scott Bain, who is experiencing a minor illness. Rodgers acknowledged the inherent difficulty of playing at Pittodrie, stating his expectation for a challenging encounter despite Aberdeen’s recent run of results. He conceded that Celtic’s “slackness” in their previous game at Parkhead allowed Aberdeen to recover from a two-goal deficit to secure a draw. However, Rodgers expects Celtic to “go at the game from the first whistle” and create problems for the hosts. The manager expressed high regard for Luke McCowan, describing his contributions as “first class for Celtic”. Rodgers asserted that the players who featured in the weekend’s game “are not cover players” and indicated he would “have no hesitation in starting the same team at Aberdeen tomorrow night”. He further emphasized the crucial role of experienced players like Callum McGregor in mentoring younger squad members, remarking, “The beauty of having Callum McGregor is that you create more Callum McGregors.” Rodgers noted that Celtic’s current standing is stronger than during the season of his previous “invincible treble” stint, but stressed that the present group must “write their own history”. He confirmed plans to strengthen the squad during the January transfer window, identifying “still areas I’d like to improve in the squad” and highlighting the continuous need for development: “you can’t have contentment, need to always provide competition”. Regarding interest in Luis Palma, Rodgers declined to comment, adding, “Luis hasn’t played a great deal of late but he’s still part of this squad”.